30 August 2006
Personal Values and Beliefs
Dr. Constance Shriner, Ph.D., Dr. Carol Bennett-Clarke, M.D., Dr. Mary Kay Smith, M.D.

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Awareness

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• Influence perceptions and interactions with others
• Values – principles/standards that have meaning and worth to an individual, family, or group
• Give meaning and determine behavior
• First step to becoming more open and understanding
  • Acknowledge that we have values
  • Understanding other who don’t share the same values – cultural sensitivity
    • Facilitate working relationships

Values

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• Values are learned through socialization
• Develop out of direct experiences
  • Parents, teachers, family members, peers all contribute
    • e.g. parents value material things? Or do they value security?
    • e.g. Republicans vs. Democrats
• Cannot be proved correct or incorrect
  • Defined not by evidence but by society

Functions of Values

• Guide behavior
• Serve as a basis for judging behavior of others
  • Individuals may be dissatisfied with others when these others don’t exhibit behavior consistent with the individual’s values

Development of Values

• Family, upbringing
• Spirituality/religion, moral imperatives of culture
• Political environment, geographic boundaries
• Media, peers

Values in Conflict

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• Diverse sources of information/experiences that influence value development
• Conflict between individual values
  • e.g. career vs. family
  • e.g. adolescents conflicting between family and peers
    • Some studies have found some adolescents deliberately do poorly in school to belong into a group
• Group values can conflict
  • e.g. differences between values of men and women
  • e.g. differences between values of cultures
    • Western society values youth – plastic surgery, cosmetics, etc.
    • Other societies revere age

Effects of Conflict

• Individual conflict response
  • Stress/anxiety
  • Avoidance behaviors and withdrawal
  • Depression
  • Resolution may require compromise/sacrifice
• Group conflict response
  • Disapproval of other’s actions and with relationships
    • Tend to be at the root of many interpersonal problems
    • e.g. football game vs. thanksgiving
    • e.g. health care system goals vs. family goals

Cultural Norms vs. Core Values

• Cultural norms:
  • Clothing, language, music
  • Common experiences
  • Change over time
• Core values:
  • Foundational beliefs
  • Guiding principles
  • Not negotiable
  • Consistent over time

Life Values Inventory

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• Measure 14 relatively independent values
• Adequate psychometric properties:
  • Test/retest and internal consistency
  • Convergent/divergent and predictive validity
• Culturally sensitive instrument

Achievement

• Ambitious, Capable, Courageous, Responsible
  • Conflict – unable to act on goals, feel unchallenged
    • Become too focused on results and sacrifice satisfaction about performance
  • May conflict with belonging

Belonging

• Social recognition, Acceptance, Inclusion, Loyalty
  • Conflict – compromise for the sake of being liked (harmony), dealing with confrontation
  • May conflict with independence, privacy, and achievement

Concern for the Environment

• Honest, Forgiving, Self-controlled, Broad minded
• Altruistic about equality/peace
  • Conflict – unable to advance the goal of improving the environment

Concern for Others

• Helpful, Honest, Friendly, Forgiving, Striving for inner tranquility, Little concern for wealth
  • Conflict – unable to help others, if their help is rejected
    • Frequently leads to burnout
  • May conflict with independence and financial prosperity

Creativity

• Imaginative, Intelligent, Disorderly, Impractical, Idealistic, Expressive, Capable, Courageous
  • Conflict – unable to act on creative ideas (use imagination), when creativity is overemphasized at the expense of orderliness
  • May conflict with responsibility

Financial Prosperity

• Ambitious, Capable, Intelligent, Logical, Pleasure seeking, Courageous
  • Conflict – Unable to accumulate wealth at a rate deemed appropriate, perceived inequity in financial return for energy expended

Health and Activity

• Clean environment, Seeking social recognition through health, Enjoy Activities, Work to improve personal appearance
  • Conflict – is over estimated and negatively influences other values

Humility

• Modest, self-effacing, deflect attention to other, obedient, polite, self-controlled
  • Conflict – placed in position where they have to promote themselves
  • May conflict with achievement

Independence

• Personal freedom, Autonomous, Ambitious, Courageous, Pleasure-seeking
  • Conflict – Actions are limited, Conformity is required
  • May conflict with belonging and interdependence

Interdependence

• Helpful, Loving, Honest, Loyal, Obedient, Polite, Self-controlled
  • Conflict – Become bound by traditions, unable to adapt to change
  • May conflict with independence

Objective Analysis

• Logical, Intelligent, Precise
  • Conflict – Required to function in a non-orderly or non-analytical way
  • May conflict with leadership roles

Privacy

• Solitary, self-reflective
  • Conflict – expend time consuming tasks
  • May conflict with interdependence

Responsibility

• Ambitious, Trustworthy, Honest, Self-controlled
  • Conflict – too oriented to the sacrifice of self, overload with responsibility to the point of undependability

Spirituality

• Inner harmony, Salvation, Honest, Obedient, Peaceful relationships
  • Conflict – when other people devalue spiritual beliefs

Medical Student Values

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• Approximate percent of medical student respondents placing value as one of their top 3
  • Achievement: 65%
  • Belonging: 15%
  • Concern for Environment: 10%
  • Concern for Others: 40%
  • Creativity: 15%
  • Financial Prosperity: 15%
  • Health and Activity: 30%
  • Humility: 10%
  • Independent: 25%
  • Interdependence: 20%
  • Objective Analysis: 30%
  • Privacy: Data Lost
  • Responsibility: 75%
  • Spirituality: 35%